The surface of the eye is constantly bathed in tears. Without this coating of tears, the eye would dry out and vision would decrease drastically. An insufficient supply of tears results in a condition known as “dry-eye syndrome.”
A variety of treatments are available for dry-eye syndrome. The particular treatment to be used in any one case is selected on the basis of the specific etiology.
One such treatment involves the application of eye drops to provide temporary relief of dry-eye syndrome. In most cases, eye drops are periodically reapplied. This can be inconvenient, particularly if the need to reapply eye drops occurs too frequently. In addition, many patients are uncomfortable with maneuvering a dropper close to the surface of the eye and keeping the eyes open to allow the eye drop to reach the surface of the eye. In severely dry eyes, even application of drops is ineffectual.